E-news You Can Use
April 2013
2013 Election of Officers & Representatives – Ballot Confirmed
ALL ACTIVE, AFFILIATE, LIFE, AND RETIRED PAST PRESIDENTS, WHO HAVE PAID THEIR 2013 HCMA DUES IN FULL, ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AND WILL RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL BALLOT BY MAIL. If you have not paid your 2013 HCMA dues yet, please submit immediately so you will not be omitted from voting in this year’s HCMA election.
The Nominating Committee of the Hillsborough County Medical Association has placed in nomination the following candidates for the 2013 election. Official ballots will be mailed the first week of April and winners will be announced at the May 7th General Membership Dinner Meeting. In accordance with the By-Laws, any voting member has the right to make additional nominations for all offices, provided that he or she delivers to the Secretary of the Association at least 31 days prior to the Annual Membership Meeting, a written statement indicating the intention to nominate one or more additional persons with the signatures attached thereto of each intended nominee and at least 10% of the voting members of the Association.
President Elect (unopposed): Dr. Devanand Mangar
Vice President (unopposed): Dr. Jose Jimenez
Secretary (unopposed): Dr. David Lubin
Treasurer (unopposed): Dr. Joel Silverfield
Executive Council At Large (two will be elected): Drs. Stanley Dennison, David Orban, Radhakrishna Rao, Malcolm Root, and Pedro Soler
Executive Council Dist. 2 (one will be elected): Drs. Michael Levitt and Jason Wilson
Executive Council Dist. 4 (one will be elected): Drs. Steven Barna and Sarah Kline
Executive Council Young Physician (one will be elected): Drs. Scott Anderson (otolaryngologist) and Jayant Rao
Executive Council USF Seat (unopposed): Dr. Richard Lockey
Executive Council Plant City Seat (unopposed): Dr. Dragos Zanchi
Board of Censors (unopposed): Drs. Jayant Rao, Bruce Shephard, and Pedro Soler
Board of Trustees (unopposed): Dr. Fred Bearison
Delegates to the FMA (unopposed): Drs. Gene Balis, Steven Barna, Stanley Dennison, Anthony Pidala, Jayant Rao, Joel Silverfield, Pedro Soler, Dragos Zanchi,
Do not hesitate to contact the HCMA office (813/253-0471) if you have any questions concerning the 2013 HCMA Nominating Committee Report.
2013 HCMA Dues Renewal Statements have been mailed. You can now pay online!
2013 HCMA Membership dues are now past due. Paying your dues is only a few clicks away! Visit the HCMA’s website: www.HCMA.net to take advantage of the new way to pay your HCMA dues, donate to the HCMA Foundation, and contribute to HILLPAC via PayPal. Scroll down the left column of the HCMA website to find “Pay Membership Dues” and your transaction can be completed in less than one minute. Contact Kay Mills, Membership Coordinator, if you have any questions concerning your HCMA membership or dues payments.
The 2013 Legislative Session Adjourns May 3rd
Contact your Legislators! - Attached you will find contact information for the Hillsborough Legislative Delegation, US Senate and Congressional representatives for Florida, as well as the 2013 FMA Legislative Agenda. The FMA Legislative Agenda reviews issues organized medicine will support and oppose and includes brief facts that will assist you when contacting your senator and representative.
It’s Not Too Late…Be “Doctor of the Day” During the 2013 Florida Legislative Session! The Florida Office of Legislative Services will be coordinating the Doctor of the Day program. Since the 1960s, the Florida Legislature's Doctor of the Day program has provided lawmakers with medical care during the legislative session while serving to strengthen physician-legislator relations. During each of the 60 days of session, 2 physicians (one for the House of Representatives and one for the Senate) provide any necessary care to legislators, their staff members, and others at the Capitol. HCMA member participation in the Doctor of the Day program not only provides a valuable service, but also continues a noble tradition. Mavis Knight with the Florida Office of Legislative Services coordinates the program. Attached you will find detailed information regarding the Doctor of the Day Program, a registration form, and a list of Tallahassee hotels. Please contact Ms. Knight directly to volunteer, or if you have any questions: Mavis Knight, Office of Legislative Services, Claude Pepper Building, Room 874, 111 West Madison Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1400, (850) 717-0301, knight.mavis@leg.state.fl.us.
Visit Florida Medicaid's ICD-10 Webpage
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has mandated that all health care providers begin using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) on October 1, 2014. The ICD-10 code set provides many benefits that will greatly improve health care across the country. This transition will affect all aspects of the health care industry, so now is the time to begin preparing for this significant change. The FL Medicaid ICD-10 webpage (Click here to visit: FL Medicaid ICD-10 Webpage) offers links for training information, publications, and support. Florida Medicaid has developed plans for the transition of the diagnosis code set. Please follow this link to see an outline of these plans. In the upcoming months, HP Provider Services will post helpful information and important updates to this page. For additional questions and concerns, please contact your local ICD-10 Field Service Representative at 1-800-289-7799, option 7.
Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM) – Tampa
PRACTICE ADMINISTRATORS: A new chapter of the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM) is being launched in Tampa. PAHCOM is an organization with roots going back 25 years. When you are looking for support from your peers, as a medical office manager, no association comes close to providing you with the best resources in the country.
Benefits available from joining the group include:
- Connect to thousands of your peers through the ListServ Forum, Member Search and Member Library to share knowledge on subject matter of importance to managers throughout the country
- Top Tier Education and Certification available through PAHCOM to standardize the skill levels of all practice managers through on-line courses, webinars, conferences and local chapter meetings
- Advocacy for solo and small group practices through PAHCOM’s partner relationship with CMS
To learn more, visit their website at: www.pahcom.com, or contact Coleen Williams at 813-974-6641.
Volunteers Needed for BRIDGE Clinic
The BRIDGE clinic was started in 2007 by four medical students who wanted to better serve the University Community area. All volunteers are able to sign up by clicking here: https://hsccf.hsc.usf.edu/bridge/index.cfm . BRIDGE Clinic physician volunteers practice in the fields of Internal Medicine, Medicine/Pediatrics, and Family Medicine. Physicians associated with USF are covered under USF's liability coverage, since the clinic operates out of the Morsani Center. Physicians not associated with USF will be covered by the DOH liability coverage through their Volunteer Healthcare Provider Program. A contract will be provided for these physicians by their DOH contact. Patients are seen by a variety of health specialties including Medical teams, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Social Work and Public Health at each appointment. The BRIDGE Clinic is fortunate to have a referral system through USF Health; when patients need to be seen by other medical specialties and/or imaging is needed they have the opportunity to have this done. The BRIDGE Clinic is working to expand the number of medical specialties patients can be referred to. They also have a relationship with Quest diagnostics for patients who require laboratory tests.
For more information, or if you have questions on how you can volunteer at The BRIDGE Clinic, please contact: Cristina Garcia cgarcia2@health.usf.edu or Colin Sullivan csulliva@health.usf.edu (University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine).
HCMA Membership Directory – Member Advertising Opportunities Available
The HCMA has begun preparations to publish the 2013-2014 HCMA Membership Directory. All Active and Life members are listed once by their primary medical specialty, including their office address, phone number, fax number, medical school, and any board certifications. We have limited space available, at discounted rates, for HCMA members to advertise their practice. Each summer, the Membership Directory is distributed to all members of the HCMA and to all healthcare facilities and hospitals in the Tampa Bay area. The Directory is also available to the public for a nominal fee. Attached you will find an HCMA Membership Directory advertising contract for your review. This directory is only published once a year, so your advertisement will be seen for 12 months, at one low price. If you are interested in securing this valuable advertising space within the HCMA Membership Directory, or have any questions, please click here: Elke Lubin, Executive Assistant or call the HCMA office (813-253-0471), or return the attached form by fax (813-253-3737).
HCMA Foundation’s 17th Charity Golf Classic – DATE CONFIRMED!
Thursday, October 17, 2013, Tournament Players Club – Tampa Bay. Mark your calendars and reserve your spot… sponsorship, golfing, and volunteer opportunities available. Contact Kay Mills or Elke Lubin for details. See attached for details…
HCMA Health Plan
The HCMA continues to offer health insurance through Florida Blue. The plan is available to HCMA members, their families, and their staff. The purpose of the plan is to keep annual premium increases to a minimum while providing physicians with a great membership benefit. Members who enrolled last year will see NO INCREASE in their premiums! Call 800.622.9124 for details or visit: www.trusthcma.com. Mark Thompson, an agent for the HCMA Health Plan, can be reached by calling (813) 639-3066 or by CLICKING HERE. Plan now for future open enrollment and allow an HCMA/Florida Blue agent to discuss this valuable benefit with you and/or your office administrator.
Have an AMAZING patient story?
Oftentimes, our members are the “unsung heroes” in so many patients’ lives. The HCMA wants to share your unique story with our community. If you have had an extraordinary experience with a patient, please let us know. We may use your story as a part of a future press release campaign. If your story is chosen, you will be contacted by the HCMA’s PR firm, Full Circle PR, for more details. Please email your submission to: Elke Lubin, HCMA Executive Assistant. Include in your submission (500 words maximum): How you changed this patient’s life, how this patient changed your life, what makes this case/patient unique from others, and the best way to contact you (private phone, email, cell, etc). If you have any questions, please contact Elke at 813.253.0471 or click here to email Elke.
Guidelines for Social Media
The Federation of State Medical Boards has created a comprehensive manual, “Guidelines for Social Media.” This 17 page document represents a model policy for the appropriate use of social media and social networking for medical practices. To download this policy, please visit: http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/pub-social-media-guidelines.pdf
2013 Board of Medicine Meeting Dates & Locations
Full Board of Medicine meetings are scheduled for: April 4-6 (Deerfield Beach), June 6-8 (Tampa), August 1-3 (Deerfield Beach), October 3-5 (Orlando), and December 5-7 (Orlando). Visit the Board of Medicine website to confirm dates and locations, for details, possible CME opportunities, board meeting minutes, board member information, agenda materials, and audio files: FL Board of Medicine - Meeting Information.
Health Department’s Community Wellness Newsletter Online
The Florida Department of Health - Hillsborough County Community Wellness Newsletter is now available by visiting the Hillsborough County Health Department website (www.hillscountyhealth.org). Go to: Community Programs > Health Education > Newsletter. For more information, please contact Cynthia A. Hardy, R.N. , Community Health Nursing Manager, Ph (813) 307-8015 ext. 7102 or Cindy_Hardy@DOH.state.fl.us.
Bulletins Archived on HCMA Site
Previous issues of HCMA’s publication, The Bulletin, can now be viewed online by visiting: http://www.hcma.net/HCMA-Bulletin-Archive.html. Can’t find a specific issue? It may be available in a PDF format. Contact Elke at the HCMA, or click here, and she will try to find that issue and email it to you.
HCMA.net – Always Changing
Visit www.HCMA.net to find a host of information, including new advertisers, the latest issue of The Bulletin, the HCMA Benefit Providers, a list of HCMA officers, or a list of upcoming CMEs. You can also check out the photos from the FMA Annual Meeting, the HCMA Foundation Charity Golf Classic, and recent dinner meetings, or look up a colleagues’ contact information.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AND RECEIVE A VOUCHER FOR A BEVERAGE OF YOUR CHOICE AT AN UPCOMING HCMA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP DINNER MEETING!
Hillsborough County Medical Association, Inc.
606 S. Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33606
813.253.0471
813.253.3737 fax
www.HCMA.net
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